-Dr. Rumalie “Mae” Corvera
What happens when you place a palliative medicine specialist with two decades of experience in a hall of over 3,000 international peers—physicians, nurses, researchers, educators, volunteers, and advocates, most of them from Europe? You get an overflow of inspiration strong enough to fuel another 20 years.
The EAPC World Congress in Helsinki gathered a truly global community of professionals under the theme “Ready for the Future”. This message resonated deeply with me as I thought about the next chapter in my own palliative care journey.
As a delegate from a low- to middle-income country, I could not help but hold the Congress’s call for sustainable, forward-looking models against the vivid reality of my own homeland. In the Philippines, palliative and hospice care stand at a fragile intersection of policy promise and lived poverty. Government directives affirm its necessity, yet only a handful of hospitals can provide its shelter. Training thrives in small enclaves, but our workforce remains scarce. Opioids for pain relief are tightly bound by regulation, and referrals are often delayed by cultural fears of “giving up”. For millions of Filipinos living below the poverty line, suffering is made even harsher by out-of-pocket costs, geographic isolation, and a health system still stitching together a patchwork of compassion.
Listening to colleagues from highly developed systems was moving—at times bittersweet. Their progress reminded me of how far we still need to go, but also strengthened my resolve to work toward the same. I left with a clear picture: palliative care in the Philippines is an unfinished promise, waiting for both government and community hands to weave it into the nation’s fabric of care.
The Congress also gave us practical pathways. I was struck by the emphasis on impactful research—from adapting the ICLEAR palliative model for advanced COPD across contexts, to establishing patient-and-public involvement groups that ground research in lived experience. Sessions on innovative capacity building introduced tools like virtual reality and artificial intelligence for training, while the principle of “de-colonization” sparked deeper reflection. Advocates from low- to middle-income countries spoke powerfully of reclaiming and reshaping care so it springs authentically from local cultures, family traditions, and national priorities, instead of imported models that run the risk of ignoring context. It was a call for equity, dignity, and agency that felt deeply personal.
One highlight was undoubtedly our own Cynthia Goh Fellowship (CGF) session: “Voices from Asia to Lead the Way in Upstreaming in Palliative Care”. Fellows from Singapore, Malaysia, India, and the Philippines showcased innovations in policymaking, workforce empowerment, community integration, and participatory design. Together, we unveiled a human-centred co-design prototype born from collaboration across five countries. More than a session, it was an act of collective voice—amplifying perspectives too often underrepresented, and co-creating solutions alongside patients, caregivers, providers, and policymakers.
The Congress was, in every sense, a rich opportunity to learn and to share. It renewed my determination to strengthen community-based capacity building, to encourage colleagues toward much-needed baseline and policy-driven research, and to advocate with greater intent for the full implementation of our national program.
As I look ahead, I carry both the inspiration and responsibility of Helsinki with me. I hope that by the next EAPC Congress, I will be standing alongside a good number of Filipino delegates, equally committed colleagues and advocates—ready to share our stories, our struggles, and our innovations with the world.